Europe battles virus spike with no appetite for new lockdowns
Skip to main content
  • Home
  • Economy
    • Aviation
    • Bazaar
    • Budget
    • Industry
    • NBR
    • RMG
    • Corporates
  • Stocks
  • Analysis
  • World+Biz
  • Sports
  • Features
    • Book Review
    • Brands
    • Earth
    • Explorer
    • Fact Check
    • Family
    • Food
    • Game Reviews
    • Good Practices
    • Habitat
    • Humour
    • In Focus
    • Luxury
    • Mode
    • Panorama
    • Pursuit
    • Wealth
    • Wellbeing
    • Wheels
  • Epaper
  • More
    • Subscribe
    • Videos
    • Thoughts
    • Splash
    • Bangladesh
    • Supplement
    • Infograph
    • Archive
    • COVID-19
    • Games
    • Long Read
    • Interviews
    • Offbeat
    • Podcast
    • Quiz
    • Tech
    • Trial By Trivia
    • Magazine
  • বাংলা
The Business Standard

Saturday
February 04, 2023

Sign In
Subscribe
  • Home
  • Economy
    • Aviation
    • Bazaar
    • Budget
    • Industry
    • NBR
    • RMG
    • Corporates
  • Stocks
  • Analysis
  • World+Biz
  • Sports
  • Features
    • Book Review
    • Brands
    • Earth
    • Explorer
    • Fact Check
    • Family
    • Food
    • Game Reviews
    • Good Practices
    • Habitat
    • Humour
    • In Focus
    • Luxury
    • Mode
    • Panorama
    • Pursuit
    • Wealth
    • Wellbeing
    • Wheels
  • Epaper
  • More
    • Subscribe
    • Videos
    • Thoughts
    • Splash
    • Bangladesh
    • Supplement
    • Infograph
    • Archive
    • COVID-19
    • Games
    • Long Read
    • Interviews
    • Offbeat
    • Podcast
    • Quiz
    • Tech
    • Trial By Trivia
    • Magazine
  • বাংলা
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 04, 2023
Europe battles virus spike with no appetite for new lockdowns

Coronavirus chronicle

Chris Reiter, Bloomberg
21 August, 2020, 08:30 pm
Last modified: 22 August, 2020, 10:26 am

Related News

  • Hong Kong says 'hello' to woo back visitors after Covid
  • US to end Covid-19 emergency declarations on 11 May
  • Covid remains a public health emergency, says WHO
  • Holiday trips within China surge after lifting of Covid curbs
  • India launches world’s 1st intranasal Covid vaccine

Europe battles virus spike with no appetite for new lockdowns

Focus on targeted measures like face masks and travel warnings

Chris Reiter, Bloomberg
21 August, 2020, 08:30 pm
Last modified: 22 August, 2020, 10:26 am
Photo: Bloomberg
Photo: Bloomberg

Europe is facing a resurgence of coronavirus infections with little willingness to resort to the stringent restrictions on movement that helped the region control the pandemic after an initial surge in March and April.

Economies were decimated by the crisis in the second quarter, and governments are desperate to foster a swift recovery. German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday urged European leaders to work together to avoid reviving lockdowns, calling instead for unified action.

"Politically, we want to avoid closing borders again at any cost, but that assumes that we act in coordination," Merkel said during a visit with Emmanuel Macron at the French president's summer residence on the Mediterranean coast.

The uptick in cases in recent weeks has been blamed on social gatherings and travelers. Containment measures focus on targeted initiatives, such as clamping down on nightclubs, requiring masks in public areas and mandating people returning from hard-hit regions quarantine or prove they're not carrying the disease. So far the measures have yet to show much of an effect.

Here's the situation in continental Europe's major economies:

Germany

German infections increased by more than 1,000 for a fourth straight day on Friday, rising by 1,586. While that's still well below the peak of nearly 7,000 in the spring, Merkel this week ruled out any steps to ease restrictions until the outbreak is under control.

The government will need to impose fines on people flaunting hygiene and social-distancing rules, Merkel said.

Germany is requiring people returning from hard-hit areas to quarantine for two weeks or present a negative test to prevent the disease from spreading in schools and workplaces.

The country's Robert Koch Institute, which has repeatedly called the recent trend "very concerning," has declared a number of regions in Europe -- including most of Spain -- as risk areas. On Thursday, it added two coastal regions in Croatia and part of Romania to the list, while Luxembourg and three other Romanian regions were no longer seen as risky.

Germany started easing curbs on April 20, when shops were allowed to start resuming business. Students are returning to schools, but with distancing and hygiene measures in place.

France

France recorded 4,771 new cases on Thursday, a level not reached since mid-April. Masks must now be worn in busy outdoor areas of Paris and Marseilles. Nice has implemented general mask-wearing since Thursday morning, and Toulouse is to follow suit on Friday, the largest cities to do so.

Macron has ruled out another nationwide lockdown, saying the country's response must be to "speed up vaccines, guarantee their access, and provide the best health response given what we know," he told Paris Match magazine.

Testing, tracing, isolating the infected and broadening the wearing of masks when necessary are also key, while targeted local lockdowns could be implemented if need be, he said.

France started to gradually ease its lockdown from May 11, and re-opened tourist attractions -- such as the Versailles palace and the Louvre Museum -- over the summer under strict hygiene conditions.

Due to the resurgence of cases, some resorts have closed their beaches at night, with nightclubs still shut for the foreseeable future and a ban on gatherings of more than 5,000 people was extended until end October.

Italy

Italy has also seen a pickup in new cases, albeit more contained than elsewhere. On Thursday, the country reported 845 new infections, the biggest increase since May 16.

The government has closed nightclubs, banned dancing in public venues and made face masks compulsory from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. in all places, including streets and squares, where crowds can gather.

Recent outbreaks have been traced back to parties in seaside resorts such as Porto Rotondo in Sardinia, as well as to people returning from vacations abroad. The government could move to isolate Sardinia, one of the country's busiest summer vacation regions, Corriere della Sera reported Thursday, citing unnamed ministry officials.

After almost two months, Italy began emerging from lockdown on May 4, when about 4 million people went back to work.

Spain

Spain has re-emerged as the epicenter of the pandemic on the continent. The country reported 3,349 new infections on Thursday, compared with 3,715 a day earlier, which was the most since April 23.

The nation has appeared rudderless during the recent upsurge. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez -- whose handling of the pandemic has been widely panned -- is on vacation with his family and hasn't addressed the public even as bad news piles up.

Spain's tourism industry is reeling, and the economy is on its knees. Some voters are on edge and any perceived political indifference could hurt the weak minority government that relies on separatists to stay in power.

Spain ended its state of emergency on June 21, entering a phase that the government has called a "new normal." But one country after another has issued travel warnings, dealing a fresh blow to Spanish tourism.


Disclaimer: This article first appeared on Bloomberg.com, and is published by special syndication arrangement.


 

Top News / World+Biz

Coronavirus / COVID-19 / Europe

Comments

While most comments will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive, moderation decisions are subjective. Published comments are readers’ own views and The Business Standard does not endorse any of the readers’ comments.

Top Stories

  • Is the IMF to blame for growing pressure on your wallet?
    Is the IMF to blame for growing pressure on your wallet?
  • Dr Salehuddin Ahmed. Illustration: TBS
    Reforms in banking must to sustain financial sector
  • Why 2012 reforms were not done is a million-dollar question
    Why 2012 reforms were not done is a million-dollar question

MOST VIEWED

  • Tourists ride a tour bus in Hong Kong, China October 25, 2019. REUTERS/Ammar Awad
    Hong Kong says 'hello' to woo back visitors after Covid
  • People wearing face masks following the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak are seen at Beijing Daxing International Airport in Beijing, China July 23, 2020. Photo:Reuters
    Pandemic to paradise: Chinese tourists return to Bali after three years
  • People walk outside wearing masks during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in the Harlem area of the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, U.S., February 10, 2022. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri
    US to end Covid-19 emergency declarations on 11 May
  • A nurse prepares a shot for Jonathan Halter as the German embassy begins its roll out of BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines for German expatriates at a Beijing United Family hospital in Beijing, China January 5, 2023. REUTERS/Thomas Peter/File Photo
    Covid remains a public health emergency, says WHO
  • FIKE PHOTO: Medical staff moves a patient into a fever clinic at a hospital, as coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreaks continue in Shanghai, China, December 19, 2022. REUTERS/Aly Song
    China approves two domestically developed Covid drugs
  • People walk with their luggage at a railway station during the annual Spring Festival travel rush ahead of the Chinese Lunar New Year, as the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak continues, in Shanghai, China January 16, 2023. REUTERS/Aly Song
    Holiday trips within China surge after lifting of Covid curbs

Related News

  • Hong Kong says 'hello' to woo back visitors after Covid
  • US to end Covid-19 emergency declarations on 11 May
  • Covid remains a public health emergency, says WHO
  • Holiday trips within China surge after lifting of Covid curbs
  • India launches world’s 1st intranasal Covid vaccine

Features

With only one government run specialised cancer hospital in the capital — the National Institute Of Cancer Research and Hospital (NICRH) in Mohakhali — patients have no option but to resort to private hospitals. Photo: Noor A Alam.

Cancer care: Medical treatment and beyond

23m | Panorama
Andy Mukherjee. Sketch: TBS

What makes India's billionaires' support special for Adani

21h | Panorama
Photo: Rejaul Hafiz Rahi

A jackal farewell

22h | Earth
The trio spearheading the revival of book cover designs

The trio spearheading the revival of book cover designs

23h | Panorama

More Videos from TBS

A proper price formula can help investors to plan big

A proper price formula can help investors to plan big

1d | TBS Round Table
Rumors about Sarika that everyone thinks are true

Rumors about Sarika that everyone thinks are true

1d | TBS Entertainment
Mugging rife in Tejgaon, murder in Wari

Mugging rife in Tejgaon, murder in Wari

1d | TBS Current Affairs
What secrets are hidden behind Adani's wealth?

What secrets are hidden behind Adani's wealth?

1d | TBS Stories

Most Read

1
Leepu realised his love for cars from a young age and for the last 40 years, he has transformed, designed and customised hundreds of cars. Photo: Collected
Panorama

'I am not crazy about cars anymore': Nizamuddin Awlia Leepu

2
Photo: Collected
Energy

8 Ctg power plants out of production

3
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) logo is seen outside the headquarters building in Washington, U.S., September 4, 2018. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas/File Photo
Economy

IMF approves $4.7 billion loan for Bangladesh, calls for ambitious reforms

4
Fund cut as Dhaka's fast-track transit projects on slow spending lane
Infrastructure

Fund cut as Dhaka's fast-track transit projects on slow spending lane

5
Photo: Collected
Court

Japanese mother gets guardianship of daughters, free to leave country

6
Belal Ahmed new acting chairman of SIBL
Banking

Belal Ahmed new acting chairman of SIBL

EMAIL US
[email protected]
FOLLOW US
WHATSAPP
+880 1847416158
The Business Standard
  • About Us
  • Contact us
  • Sitemap
  • Privacy Policy
  • Comment Policy
Copyright © 2023
The Business Standard All rights reserved
Technical Partner: RSI Lab

Contact Us

The Business Standard

Main Office -4/A, Eskaton Garden, Dhaka- 1000

Phone: +8801847 416158 - 59

Send Opinion articles to - [email protected]

For advertisement- [email protected]